Sienna grunts as she falls to the ground. A trainer points his fake sword at her neck.
"Again," he orders. I watch as she rises to her feet.
I feel a sharp point press against my chest. "Always be alert," my trainer says with a smirk on her face. Her expression tells me everything I need to know. There's no way these two are going to survive.
"I'm done," Sienna says, dropping her sword to the ground with a sigh. "Thanks for the help."
I rest my sword next to Sienna's, echoing her thanks. The trainers pick up our swords wordlessly as we walk away; I see mine shrug before I turn away.
"I guess we're not meant to be fighters," Sienna says with a sigh. "Those trainers were harsh."
"Fighting isn't everything," I say, trying to reassure her, but I'm just as dejected as she is. Neither of us could even hold a sword at the beginning; we've both made progress, but not much. "People have won the Games before without even killing anybody. Being able to survive is as important as fighting."
"Hopefully, we won't have to fight, anyway," Sienna says, pointing across the room. "Looks like the boys have that sorted."
I look over to see that she's right - Damien and Clay are both excelling at some sort of fighting simulation. They're working great as a team, from what I can see from across the room. Next to us, the boys from One watch them fight; they don't look too happy.
"Let's check out some of the practical stations," Sienna suggests. "Maybe we should try making fishhooks."
Luckily for us, we're more successful at making fishhooks than we are at fighting with swords. After a few tries, Sienna's able to make a hook in the blink of an eye, but a nearby trainer comments that my technique is more precise than hers.
Content with my hooks, I braid Sienna's hair while she practices making more hooks. I can't help but excitedly run my fingers through her shiny hair. I can't remember the last time I felt this way, like I have an actual friend. Back home, Ciara was the only person who ever cared about me, and that was only because we worked together. Sienna has no obligation to me, and yet here we are, making hooks together. It feels like the two of us are the only ones in this room, or even in this world. This moment holds only us.
I feel Sienna's head raise as I weave my fingers through her hair. "Luna, can I ask you a question?" she says.
"Of course," I murmur, trying to focus on her braids.
"If you and your brother aren't close, why are you trying to stick together in the Arena?" she asks.
I'm thrown off by Sienna's question. I glance over at Damien - is it safe for me to tell Sienna the truth?
"Simon tried to force us to," I admit. I have nothing to hide from Sienna - she's shown me that she cares about me more than Damien ever has in just one day. "I guess Damien tried to take it to heart a little too much - I wasn't expecting him to actually form an alliance or anything. I'm still not sure what his full plan is, and if it includes me. But how did you know that we aren't close?"
"Well, he never really talked about you at all until you joined us," Sienna says with a frown. "And he's separated himself from you ever since you got here."
That's true - I guess Damien and I haven't been too smart about hiding the fact that we aren't close considering that we haven't even trained together once yet.
"The same could be said about you and Clay," I point out; I don't know why I feel as defensive as I do considering that Sienna's right.
"Exactly," Sienna says with a smile. "But I have a feeling we don't have the same history that you two do. Clay's just older than me, and he always spent more time with my younger brother than he did with me."
"You have other siblings?" I ask, surprised. I didn't even think about the possibility that the other tributes could have siblings beyond their District partner.
"Yeah, I'm a twin," Sienna sighs. "A blessing and a curse. If Dawn was here with me, she'd definitely be a better partner than Clay, that's for sure. Part of me is glad she's not, though. She was always the smarter one, the cooler one, the more talented one. She was top of our class in school, and our parents let everyone know it."
I furrow my brow at Sienna's story - how could anyone so kind as Sienna be made to feel this way?
"I'm sorry you felt that way," I say as soothingly as I can. "You're an amazing person, Sienna. And an amazing friend. You don't deserve to feel second-best."
"It's alright," Sienna says, shaking her head a bit. "Even though I probably won't make it out of here, part of me is glad that I'm here and not Dawn. She always got to be in the spotlight, so now it's my turn. Does this hook look alright?"
"Looks great," I say. "Try curving the bottom up a little higher, though."
Sienna reaches down to gather materials for a new hook. Finished with her braid, I grab a piece of string from the table and use it to hold the hair in place.
"Done," I announce proudly as the girl in front of me works. Something about the way she moves, the way her eyes narrow in concentration while she makes her hook, is perfect, like a work of art. I can't believe that there are people in this world who ever made her feel like she was second-best; if Sienna is like this, I'd like to know what her sister's like.
A flash of red catches my eye, and I glance up to see two boys training at a nearby station. One is clearly older than the other, but their flaming hair leaves no room for doubt that they're brothers. I spot the number 9 on their shoulders; I don't think I've seen these boys before. As the younger boy moves to retrieve a throwing spear, I see the older boy glance in my direction. After a few seconds, I realize that he's not actually looking at me. He's looking at Sienna just like I am. Maybe he's impressed by her hook-making skills. It's more likely that he's admiring her hair like I've been doing for the last fifteen minutes. After a few more seconds, the younger boy returns, and the boys start throwing spears again.
"You know, I always felt like back in Seven people tried to be friends with me just so they could get closer to my sister," Sienna says, her eyes still pointed on her hook. "But for the first time, Dawn is gone and yet I still have a friend. So thank you for being here for me, Luna."
"Of course," I beam. "You know, I think we were meant to find each other in here. We both needed a friend, and we've both found one."
"Agreed," Sienna says with a nod. "How does this one look?"
"Amazing," I say as Sienna lifts up her hook, but I would've said that about any hook she made. "You've improved a lot!"
We're interrupted by a loud buzzer. I remember that sound from yesterday - it's time for lunch.
"Come on," Sienna says, pulling my arm. "Let's find the boys."